Trump says Xi Jinping will visit Washington in 'not too distant future'

U.S. president Donald Trump said on Mar. 17 that Chinese president Xi Jinping would visit the United States in the near future.

"He will be coming... in the not-too-distant future," Trump said while attending a board meeting at the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, Reuters and Bloomberg reported.

Escalating trade war

The news comes amid an escalating trade war between the world's biggest economies.

Since taking office in January 2025, Trump has imposed a 20 per cent tariff on all imports from China.

China responded by implementing retaliatory tariffs, and in early March, imposed tariffs of up to 15 per cent on imports of U.S. agricultural and food products.

Trump said tariffs are necessary to rebalance uneven trade relations with other nations and increase revenue for the government.

He also largely dismissed concerns from investors that these tariffs could slow growth and raise inflation.

Discussions stuck at lower levels

Discussions between the U.S. and China are stuck at lower levels.

Trump and Xi spoke in January, shortly before Trump's second-term inauguration. 

The discussion covered topics including trade relations, the potential sale of TikTok's U.S. operations, and efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking.

Trump in February also said he spoke to Xi after the inauguration, though he did not specify when the discussion took place.

In the same month, Trump said he planned to speak with China, but he was in no hurry to hold talks.

Top image via Charly Triballeau, Ludovic Marin/AFP